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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be furious at these people for not strapping their daughter in to the car?

31 replies

PigeonPair · 22/10/2010 20:22

The other day I was driving my son and his friend to school when we we had to stop because a car was in the middle of the road, obviously picking someone up. Woman came out of house with little girl (approx 6) who she let into the back. I was waiting for her to strap the girl in but she just closed the car door and got in to the front. The little girl then proceeded to kneel up on the back seat and wave to us (in the manner I used to in the 80's before the rear seatbelt law was put in place!) all along the road until they turned off. I couldn't believe my eyes.....

OP posts:
mamasmissionimpossible · 22/10/2010 20:26

I saw something similar with a Dad who put his dd in the front seat with NO seatbelt. I doesn't bear thinking about what would happen if there was an accident. Where is their common sense? Makes me Angry

izzywizzywoowooo · 22/10/2010 20:28

YADNBU!!!!

These people annoy the hell out of me, No thought for their own childs safety.

Angry
MissBubbles · 22/10/2010 20:39

yanbu! the other day as i was crossing a road, a woman drove past me, and tho she and her front and back passenger (a child on booster seat) were both strapped in, on that bit of dashboard space between the steering wheel and the windscreen, what did i see laying in that space??? a bloody dog!!! now excuse me but surely thats dangerous too, people like this annoy me greatly, the passengers may have been strapped in but what if dog goes crazy for some reason ? anything could happen!!

dwat · 22/10/2010 20:44

shock horror

oldraver · 22/10/2010 20:59

I am not surprised. We had two letters while DS wa at Pre-School stating that it had been noticed that several children where unsecured. Of those that where I would say half of them were in unsutable restraints ie the 1-2-3 kind where they used the seatbelt not the five point harness. I realise my DS is very small for his age (4.9) as he has only just reached 15kg needed for thistype of seat, but I saw many, many smaller than him using them

fastedwina · 22/10/2010 21:56

saw a gran yesterday holding a baby in the back, some people just don't bother or in their culture it's not a big thing. Worst was a mum picking her kids up at our old primary school. The kids jumped in and I told her they hadn't buckled up (no child car seats anyway) yet to which she smiled and said ' oh, the car doesn't have any seatbelts' as she happily drove off.

Numpt · 22/10/2010 22:09

very wrong!

GoreRenewed · 22/10/2010 22:10

Tsk!

wayoftheworld · 22/10/2010 22:15

Lol, I am sure she was joking- I can imagine the conversation between you two..Grin

fastedwina · 22/10/2010 22:20

wayoftheworld - maybe she was joking about the seatbelts (or lack of - it was a little old and battered) but never, ever saw her strap them in - even with just seat belts never mind booster seats or anything.

wayoftheworld · 22/10/2010 22:36

God forbid!!Shock

Giddyup · 22/10/2010 23:00

I haven't strapped DS into the car since he was about 4, he does it himself. Surely most 6 year olds are responsible for getting in their car seats and strapping themselves in? I would be oblivious to DS not being strapped in as it wouldn't cross my mind that he wouldn't be (it would never happen, he is a a complete swot and a mini jobsworth when it comes to following rules!).

fastedwina · 22/10/2010 23:02

they are if you teach them to do it, some parents obviously have never bothered.

izzywizzywoowooo · 22/10/2010 23:07

I don't see who holding your child in the back of a moving car is seen as culture..? Hmm

LordVolAuVent · 22/10/2010 23:09

lol at wayoftheworld and giddyup's jobsworth son :)

YABU to be 'furious'. judge quietly but it's no skin off your nose is it?

Ripeberry · 22/10/2010 23:12

It is the law that the driver must make SURE that children are strapped in at all times.
Yes, most 6yr olds could do it themselves but you need to check each time.

I pick up a neighbours child each day from school and he knows that in my car he has to put his seatbelt on, even though he does not in his parents car.
I've even got him out of the habit of tucking the chest belt behind his back.

We only drive 1 mile, but it is a dangerous road, too dangerous to cross the busy crossroads near the school.
Even just yesterday morning on the way to school there was a nasty accident with a car and lorry (no-one hurt thankgoodness) but more evidence for the school to get the council to put a 20mph limit as at the moment it is 50mph so impossible to cross.

Difficult enough in a car!

fastedwina · 22/10/2010 23:25

well izzy,

knew this would possibly be picked up on but to avoid being pc and opening myself up for huge criticism - the family in question were asian (looked chinese in origin) and having lived in Asia where the majority were of chinese origin it didn't surprise me as you lost count on any one journey of families travelling with babies/toddlers/children bouncing about the car - they honestly thought it was safer to hold them on your lap or thought it was cruel to force them to strap up. This family at the petrol station reminded me of that mindset. If it makes you feel better the woman who laughed about not having seatbelts to strap her kids in was white british, where the culture is to strap in.

wayoftheworld · 22/10/2010 23:53

May be the woman with the seat belts was making an efficiency spending. We are living on hard times and have to tighten our sit-belts to the point of invisibility!! Grin

fastedwina · 22/10/2010 23:59

think she had perhaps lived too long in Asia and gone native! Wink

wayoftheworld · 23/10/2010 00:05

Car was probably nissan or a kia Grin

Note: Please bear in mind that whilst this topic does canvass opinions, it is not a fight club. You may disagree with other posters in regards to use of seat=belts but ask you please to stick to our Talk Guidelines and to be civil. Wink

fastedwina · 23/10/2010 00:09

Honda I think, so close!

wayoftheworld · 23/10/2010 00:14

honda is a bit too classy for being " a little old and battered". You are almost talking for a 4x4!!

fastedwina · 23/10/2010 00:16

exactly, that's why I think she was just lying through her teeth - or the seatbelts had been tucked down between the seats and she had never thought to look for them (all the taxis used to do this - drived us nuts).

wayoftheworld · 23/10/2010 00:22

She is a hard working part-time mother, using her car as Taxi service and than rushing to pick up kids after work. When than you pop out of thin air and critisise her mothering skills, quality of car and abiltiy to understand your concern....

I am totally with you here...

fastedwina · 23/10/2010 00:30

she actually looked like a lovely lady (always smiling and a bit waffly ). It had bothered me for ages and I made the light heartened comment of ' oh, the kids haven't strapped in yet' to challenge her without accusing her, IYKWIM. Her cheery response both amused me and frustrated me in equal measures! But god help the kids if she ever has to break hard or worse

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